my makeup may be flaking

Another pretty nice Atlanta race. Interesting course, well organized and a non-standard distance. I think it's safe to say this is my 4-mile post mayan apocalypse PR.

I had set a totally arbitrary goal of top 10 prior to the race, based on previous years results.

In the first mile, I felt incredibly terrible. My heart rate was all over the place from about 1 minute in until about 10 minutes in. However the first mile was 5:46 and I was in exactly 10th place. I was about ten seconds behind the pack of people 6-9, which included Jonathan Gomez and Peter Kotchen, people who are normally slightly ahead of me.

Second mile was 5:52 and I was gradually losing ground and I could hear several pairs of footsteps behind me, but right at mile 2 my heart decided that it was going to start working correctly. A couple of people passed me, but then like a complete jerk I passed them right back and was all like, "my heart is working now, yay".  I went back and forth with some guys for the next mile 5:49. The last mile is all uphill so I only eke out a 6:03, but I manage to drop the guys that I was with pretty substantially. 

11.84 miles in 1:18:56 (6:39,6:22 adj)

0-7 miles in 46:15 (6:36 pace,6:20 adj)

7-10 miles in 19:40 (6:33,6:16 adj)

10-11.84 in 13:01 (7:04,6:43 adj)

I slowed down a bit at the end of the run. I didn't feel especially tired, I just couldn't get myself to move.

20.5 miles. Timed 18.8 miles: 2:11:08 (7:03 pace). Felt really tough. Legs were trashed, Not close to maxed out cardiowise. It took about 7 miles for me heart to allow me to pick it up.

Got eaten by the rhino

9 miles in 57:10

4.5 miles in 27:23 (5:45 adjusted pace)

8:54,15:13,18:27,20:41,24:11,26:37

22.9 at 8:00 pace.

I've been informed that this race report is boring so I'll try to liven it up a little. Let's see now,

Woke up at 11:45 pm, half an hour before I went to bed, cleaned the lake and worked a full shift down the coal mine. Got to the starting line a little grimy, but feeling positive.

It was cold at the starting line, unseasonably so for Atlanta. I mean we weren't fighting off polar bears or anything, it's best just to give them their space. The narwhal, on the other hand, while beautiful and graceful in the ocean, is clumsy on land and frankly should be kept away from small children.

I quickly joined up with Allie and some other ATC elite women: Jill "Squid Hands" Arnold, Kathleen "Skin Pens" Casto and Gayle "Wheelie Shoes" O'Bannon. Don't know where those names come from. We were all shooting for sub 18. First mile was 5:46 which is right on. Unfortunately at the turnaround was a 500 foot tall sphinx asking riddles and this slowed us down.

My riddle was "What sort of room has no walls?"

I, somewhat out of breath, gave the correct response "A very large one."

Everyone else got their riddle correct except for Gayle. Her riddle was "What goes on four legs then two legs then three legs?"

Gayle responded "Man". But the sphinx said this was wrong and that the correct answer was "An animal that loses and regrows limbs periodically." So the Sphinx ate Gayle. Two mile mark was 11:42, so we had some work to do, to get sub 18.

Jill started to push the pace here and I hung on as best as I could. The finish was a bit rough what with the narwhals still flopping around. I ended up 1 second behind Jill in 17:54. Kathleen  was right behind me and Allie just missed out on the sub 18. Gayle was a DNF.

9 miles in 56:29. Feeling very good about it considering there was a nasty headwind for split3.

4.5 miles in 28:33. Didn't feel great today. Ran slower than I did for 9 miles on Friday with a harder effort.

Splits 9:11,15:48,16:25,19:09,21:27,25:11,27:44

Double tempo run: 2.75 in 15:59 (5:46 adj pace), then 2.45 in 15:19 (5:52 adj pace)

4 by mile on beltline w/90 seconds rest 5:30, 6:05, 5:33,6:02

1st and 3rd downhill and with the wind hence the dramatic swings

*Allie Boost

^Wind blowing other way

Then 4* Rhino hill (~170m, allegedly an 8.8% grade according to gmaps) all around 38secs, which would be about 34 seconds for a flat 200.

11.85 miles in the rain. Lots of deep standing water and mini-rivers in the road slowed me down. However, I always feel much better in these conditions (better temperature regulation, maybe?) and so my time was good. This run should be a decent indicator of marathon pace and I averaged just about 2:50 pace on tough terrain. The course tool suggests 2:42 pace on a pancake flat course. I've not broken 2:50 since SLC 2012 and I've not sniffed 2:42 pace since TOU 2011, but I'm still not tempted to run another marathon just yet.

4.5 Breakdown for wacky workout wednesday (it's so wacky it happens on thursday)

First 1.1 miles along Lullwater in 6:59 (6:21, 5:55 adj pace)

4:20 jogging rest

.14 uphill in 49.7 (5:55,5:00 adj pace)

60 second jogging rest

.48 uphill in 2:53 (6:00, 5:22 adj pace)

90 seconds rest

.2 uphill in 73.7 (6:08, 5:20 adj pace)

90 seconds rest

.46 in 2:31.6 (5:30, 5:34 adj pace)

90 seconds rest

.37 in 2:04.4 (5:36, 5:19 adj pace)

90 seconds rest

.54 uphill in 3:22.9 (6:16, 5:33 adj pace)

4:30 jogging rest

.15 in 43.6

It's actually 5.9 miles to work not 5.8. No wonder it takes me so long.

36:47 a 3-second post mayan apocalypse PR, possibly. I actually ran 36:45 at the Classic 10k in 2013, but I believe that was short. 37:05 last year

Didn't feel great on my warmup, just a general feeling that I get prior to workouts and races that I'm not going to be firing on all cylinders. I think it's due to lack of electrolytes. I decided that I would therefore try to be conservative at the start.

The race started very similarly to last year. One guy in grey leapt out to about a 5-10m lead almost immediately and a large pack coalesced behind. I ran next to Graham Merfield, a fellow brit, who was 2nd last year and I decided that I would try to stick with him for a while.

The first half mile is a little chaotic: down a very steep hill, 90degree turn, steep uphill, 90 degree turn, uphill, 90 degree turn, downhill. Then we start to run down a nice long downhill (which we'll run the other way to finish). During this, some guy in black passed me and caught the leader. Things started to sort out and we were left with 4 people together and 2 guys out in front. Right before the mile, there's a steep uphill (there'll be lots of those in this race) and that spread things out. The top two guys pulled away and the chase pack spread out. I was 4th at the mile in 5:46 (5:41 adj), about 3 seconds behind Graham in 2nd and about 10 seconds behind the leading two. I was 5:40 at the mile last year.

I catch up to Graham again briefly on a downhill, but again lose him on the subsequent uphill. This is exactly how the race went last year. Two guys were out in front with Graham and I in 3rd and 4th, and me mostly suffering to stay with Graham. Reach two miles in 11:22 (5:46 second mile, 5:35 adjusted) and it seems like the guys in front of me are getting further away. "That's ok", I think to myself, "maybe they'll get tired". However this doesn't seem likely as during the 3rd mile their lead stretches to about 100m (20-25 seconds) and I start to hear footsteps.

Right before the 3 mile mark Aaron Roseberry catches me. This is also just like last year, as he caught me at the same point last year. The 3rd mile ends with a steep uphill (there are lots of those in Atlanta) and I feel like I'm running about 7min pace. Hit mile 3 in 11:39 (6:07, 5:50 adjusted) in 5th place. Someone informs me that it's 'downhill all the way', which is certainly false seeing as it's a 90ft net gain in the second half. However there is some downhill for a time which allows me to catch back up to Aaron who sniffs and promptly drops me again. Well I tried.

Then something funny happens, I look up the road and see that the top three guys have gotten closer. I decide to see what happens if I surge. I first pass Aaron, then close the gap to Graham and pass him. Next, one of the leaders starts to flag and I catch and pass him. I go from 5th to 2nd in about 3 minutes. Mile 4 is a mere 6:06, but I suspect this mile is long by about .08. The course itself is about .08 long and this seems to be where the error is. This means that my actual pace was 5:39 and my adjusted pace was 5:16. Doesn't seem all that plausible, but I did make up a ton of ground.

That 4th mile really took a toll and I'm feeling nauseous and faint, but I'm only about 2 seconds back of the leader so I figure I may as well try to win. I catch up to him and just  stick on his shoulder for about half a mile. When the course starts to go up again I throw in another surge and there's no response, but I am not feeling well at all. 5:55 for mile 5 (5:33 adj).

I just barely hold on at the end 6:00 (5:36 adj) for mile 6 which allows Aaron Roseberry to catch back up to me. I absolutely crush the last little bit (67 for .2, 5:13 pace, 4:46 adjusted) to win by six seconds over Aaron.

	Split	3/8	2/16	1/14	11/5	10/29	10/8
Mile4Mark	8:51	8:51	9:11	8:54	8:55	8:54	8:58
Mile3Mark	6:14	15:05	15:48	15:13	15:18	15:19	15:33
Beltline (3M)	3:15	18:20	19:09	18:27	18:30	18:38	18:47
Mile2Mark	2:08	20:28	21:27	20:41	20:42	20:54	21:01
Mile1Mark	5:52	26:20	27:44	26:37	26:33	26:54	26:56
Finish	0:43	27:03	28:33	27:23	27:19	27:39	27:42

Thursday means it's time for wacky workout wednesday!

This has quickly become my favourite workout. Just pick a normal running route, pick some arbitrary starting and stopping points (that don't involve crossing any roads) and figure out the deets later.

I was so so much faster than the first time doing this. For this workout and the last (another workout PR) and my last race (a PR and win on a difficult course) I've worn my new balance 1080s which have been in hibernation since the mayan apocalypse. I brought them out because my Skechers were basically disintegrating and I'd been too lazy to get new shoes. Sooo, maybe the improvement is just to changing up the shoes.

First 1.1 miles along Lullwater in 6:46.6 (6:10, 5:44 adj pace). Last time 6:59.

.14 uphill in 46.8 (5:34,4:42 adj pace) Last time 49

.48 uphill in 2:48.3 (5:51, 5:14 adj pace) Last time 2:53

.2 uphill in 70.3 (5:52, 5:07 adj pace) Last time 73

90 seconds rest

.46 in 2:28.4 (5:23, 5:26 adj pace) Last time 2:31

90 seconds rest

.37 in 1:58.8 (5:21, 5:05 adj pace) Last time 2:04

90 seconds rest

.54 uphill in 3:11.1 (5:54, 5:13 adj pace) Last time 3:21!!!!

4:30 jogging rest

.15 in 41.1 (4:34,5:00 adj pace) last time 43.6

Switched to a fresh pair of Skechers today and concluded that the improvement is mostly due to going from ancient shoesto new ones.

The plan was to do 4 by mile with 90 seconds rest on the bike path. It was hot so I didn't want to push very hard. First rep was very controlled 5:31.9. However, even on that first one something didn't feel right.

After I crossed the line and stopped my watch I started to feel very nauseous and dizzy. I was still trying to get my bearings when the 90 seconds was up. I slowly wondered to the start line and started the 2nd rep. I decided that I would just try to ease into it. 6:17 for the second mile, which is slightly uphill.  I don't feel quite as bad so I decide to keep going. Mile 3 is 5:59, which is just terrible, but whatever, at least it's half marathon pace. After the 3rd rep I once again start to feel dizzy and struggle to make it to the line. This last one goes terribly, only a 6:45. Sometimes my body just rebels against me.

I jogged about a mile until I was feeling ok again and then did 4 by rhino hill. (39.7,42.2,43.7,39.9). I was a little wobbly on the jog home but no collapsing (which has happened)

As to the terrible workout, this will just be another entry into the list of terrible workouts inflicted upon me by the mayans. Prior to the ATC half, I ran 12:47 split for 2 miles (6:43 pace) that w as extremely painful. I then average 6:06 pace for the race itself. It won't be nearly as hot on Sunday.

	Split	3/16	3/8	2/16	1/14	11/5	10/29	10/8
Mile4Mark	8:56	8:56	8:51	9:11	8:54	8:55	8:54	8:58
Mile3Mark	6:27	15:23	15:05	15:48	15:13	15:18	15:19	15:33
Beltline (3M)	3:13	18:36	18:20	19:09	18:27	18:30	18:38	18:47
Mile2Mark	2:11	20:47	20:28	21:27	20:41	20:42	20:54	21:01
Mile1Mark	6:01	26:48	26:20	27:44	26:37	26:33	26:54	26:56
Finish	0:43	27:31	27:03	28:33	27:23	27:19	27:39	27:42

Not sure about the time, results have me at 18th place and 1:20:52, but that's not right. The clock read 1:20:38 when I went under it and the guy 1 step ahead of me had that time, and he crossed the startline before I did. However my own watch read 1:20:50, but I probably didn't stop it right after crossing the line and my last .1 was like :38 seconds. So whatever, I don't really know.

The splits were also probably a little bit weird. I've mapped this course like 10 times and I can't get it to come out right. My conservative estimate is 5:59 adjusted pace, which is fine, but not great. I wouldn't have been surprised if I ran 1:17 today, but I also wouldn't have been surprised by a 1:25.

I probably should have warmed up a bit more, although I felt good the 1st mile, my heart was not doing well from miles 2-5. First mile was 5:51, but downhill (5:58 adj). I was already feeling dizzy and nauseous and I could feel a complete meltdown coming. I didn't want to back way off so I just sort of rode a wave of uncomfortableness 2nd mile 6:14 (6:07 adjusted) and I got passed by about 10 people. This pace should have felt really slow to me and it did, but my heart was pounding in my ears.

Just tried to hold it together for mile 3, but I was seriously considering quitting. 6:15 for mile 3, which has a ton of climbing (5:57 adj pace) which was a bit encouraging and people stopped passing me. Reached 5k in 20th place in 18:59. Mile 4 contains another serious hill and I spent most of it drinking as much powerade as I physically could 6:24 for that mile (5:59 adjusted again). That meant that I was at 24:45 for 4 miles, which is way behind sub 1:20 pace already.

Mile 5 I begin to revive a little and suddenly I change gears. My good feeling only lasts for about 2 minutes though. However, I can feel my body coming to life. 6:04 for mile 5 (6:07 adj). I miss the gatorade in the next mile and waste way too much time trying to find some. 6:32 (6:09 adj pace) for mile 6! 38:34 and 22nd place at 10K. That's 49 seconds slower than my last 10K. This is not going well.

Mile 7 is, somehow, 5:47 (5:32 adj). I suspect that mile 6 was in the wrong spot as mile 6 sucked so much. Mile 8 and 9 are nice downhills. 6:02 and 5:50 (6:13 and 6:03 adj). Unfortunately the last 4 mile are pretty tough. 6:30 (5:55 adj) for mile 10. I'm now 61:33 for ten miles and 18th place, which seems a bit more respectable. 6:09 for mile 11 (6:11 adj), 6:24 for 12 (5:51) and 6:04 for mile 13 (5:54 adj).

I'm slightly disappointed with my effort. I think if I'd had more confidence in myself I could have gotten sub 1:20, but I gave up a little mentally in the last couple of mile.

Wacky Workout Wednesday

Thoracic Thursday?

Switched to morning tempo runs to beat the heat and because I generally seem to suck at running in the morning, which is when races are.

Not a great run, but I got better as I went.

7.4 mile tempo in 48:48 (6:36 pace/6:21 adjusted)

Segments: 0-3 miles in 19:46 (6:27 adjusted)

3-4.94 in 12:53 (6:19 adjusted)

4.94-7.4 in 16:08 (6:15 adjusted)

2*4*400 on beltline alternating down/up. 90 seconds between reps, 5 mins between sets.

(77.6,82.0,75.3,79.3), (76.1,80.6,75.9,80.9)

4*rhino hill (39.9,39.1,37.4,37.8)

	Split	4/5	3/16	3/8	2/16	1/14	11/5	10/29	10/8
Mile4Mark	8:52	8:52	8:56	8:51	9:11	8:54	8:55	8:54	8:58
Mile3Mark	6:24	15:16	15:23	15:05	15:48	15:13	15:18	15:19	15:33
Beltline (3M)	3:18	18:34	18:36	18:20	19:09	18:27	18:30	18:38	18:47
Mile2Mark	2:14	20:48	20:47	20:28	21:27	20:41	20:42	20:54	21:01
Mile1Mark	6:14	27:02	26:48	26:20	27:44	26:37	26:33	26:54	26:56
Finish	0:48	27:50	27:31	27:03	28:33	27:23	27:19	27:39	27:42

Date	Rest	1	2	3	4	Avg
8/29/15	90 secs	5:35	6:07	5:49	6:09	5:55
9/5/15	5 mins	5:39	5:53	5:34	5:52	5:44.5
9/19/15	90 secs	5:35	5:57	5:36	5:53	5:45.3
9/26/15	5 mins	5:45	6:08	5:40	6:07	5:55
12/19/15	90 secs	5:44	5:55	5:41	5:56	5:49
2/20/16	90 secs	5:30	6:05	5:33	6:02	5:47.5
3/13/16	90 secs	5:30	6:17	5:59	6:45	6:07.8
4/7/16	90 secs	5:43	6:05	5:36	5:58	5:50.5

4xRhino hill (39.8,38.8,39.5,37.8)

Deepdene Loop (8.9 miles) in 57:07 (6:25 pace, 6:09 adjusted)

Splits of 19:37, 18:01. 19:29.

1/31/15: 18:40, 17:37, 19:17

8/30/14: 21:16, 19:54, 22:10

Double Tempo Run

2.75 miles 15:57 (5:45 adjusted pace) then 2.45 in 15:03 (5:45 adjusted pace)

Thoracic thursday workout.

2 sets of 4*400m on the beltline with 90 secs rest, 5 minutes of jogging between sets

Then went 4 rounds against the rhino hill

First three down reps were pretty wimpy.

Splits 5:41,11:16,17:07,:34

Adjusted splits 5:32,5:30,5:34, (5:03 ajusted for last .1)

To say that I got 4th is a bit misleading seeing as 5 people running the 10k were ahead of me. 

7.4 miles in 47:45 (6:28 pace, 6:13 adj)

Splits 19:26,12:25,15:54

Adj Paces (6:21,6:06,6:10)

Started 90mins later than normal today. 

	Split	4/26	4/5	3/16	3/8	2/16	1/14	11/5	10/29	10/8
Mile4Mark	8:54	8:54	8:52	8:56	8:51	9:11	8:54	8:55	8:54	8:58
Mile3Mark	6:23	15:17	15:16	15:23	15:05	15:48	15:13	15:18	15:19	15:33
Beltline (3M)	3:17	18:34	18:34	18:36	18:20	19:09	18:27	18:30	18:38	18:47
Mile2Mark	2:13	20:47	20:48	20:47	20:28	21:27	20:41	20:42	20:54	21:01
Mile1Mark	5:58	26:45	27:02	26:48	26:20	27:44	26:37	26:33	26:54	26:56
Finish	0:44	27:29	27:50	27:31	27:03	28:33	27:23	27:19	27:39	27:42

Thoracic Thursday

+Thora(ss)Kick Thursday
4xRhino hill (38.5,37.0,36.6,36.0) (37.0 avg)

4/7/16 (39.8,38.8,39.5,37.8) (39.0 avg)

Deepdene loop in 57:41: splits of 19:54,18:14,19:32

last time: 19:37, 18:01,19:29

I was feeling kind of nauseous during the race and so my splits were pretty silly 55,80,78,71. Sat in about 10th place for the first 800, then gradually started to move up. Unleashed the fiddy kick in the last 300m, walking down a bunch of kids 5-10 years younger than me.

Prediction going into the race was 4:45 (ask Allie!), but I think that I can do much better now.

Final note. This converts to a 5:07, which is a post-mayan-apocalypse PR.

"SAT around and did nothing, but only after doing this workout." SATurday

4xrhino hill(36.2,36.0,35.2,34.3) (35.4 avg)
4/28/16 (38.5,37.0,36.6,36.0) (37.0 avg)

I actually ran 3 races. First I did the 200m in 31.13 FAT. This is pretty good for not wearing spikes I think. I only ran the 200m because it was part of the ATC grand prix.

Then I did the 800m in 2:27, splits of 73,74. This would have been perfect had I been doing the mile, but my 800 really should be sub 2:20. I think I was perhaps not recovered from the 200m.

Finished off with the 5k after a solid recovery period. I really wanted to get a sub 17:30 for a PR, which I thought reasonable based on my recent workouts. As there had already been a ton of races this week and there was scheduled to be an elite 5k after our event, they ran everyone together. This made for a crowded race track, which possibly cost me a few seconds. It also meant that I couldn't tell what place I was in. I believe I got second behind Kirubel Erassa who came within two steps of double lapping me (don't know why he didn't run the elite section). I ran with a small group for about 3k before they all slowly faded. With about 150m left I realized that I would be really annoyed if I didn't get my PR, and picked it up a ton meaning that I probably could have picked it up earlier. I ended up getting a 17:29.5, which converts to a 17:29.8 by hand timing convetions and that's good enough for me. Another PR! The third of the year!

Behold my incredible splits:

84.6,82.8 (surge to catch a pack),83.6,84.6,84.3,85.0,85.9,84.3,85.1,85.9,84.8,83.3,35.5

4x800 in 78 seconds on middle school track (1 set, 90 seconds rest)

Mercerwood loop on Mercer Island

6.85 miles in 42:23 (6:11 pace). This is the sort of time that I would run during the summer in college.

(Did it in August in 46:22, blergh)

Approximate splits of 68,71

Thoracic Thursday 

4xrhino hill (36.2,37.3,34.5,34.7) (35.7 avg)

5/7/16 (36.2,36.0,35.2,34.3) (35.4 avg)

Another PR, but not quite sub-5 mile (converts to 5:01). Got 2nd in the 2nd heat, but would have been way too slow for the first heat. Thought about running the 3K but a thunderstorm delayed itand I was feeling sick (it was 90 degrees and humid).

Oxford Tempo in 46:40 (6:18 pace, 6:05 adjusted)

Mile Repeats in 5:29, 5:52,5:34,6:04. Rest=90 seconds. Then 4 by rhino hill in roughly 38 seconds average. Not a great workout, but I was struggling with the heat today.

20 second PR

splits: 82,80,80,82,84,83,86,83,83,84,83,83,36

I made a risky decision to try to hang with a large group who were splitting 80-81, hence the fast 2nd and 3rd laps. After about 4 laps they lost momentum. After dropping that 86, I passed them all and got into a nice groove the rest of the way. It was really hot and I had pretty bad cotton mouth the entire time. Most of the people I was running with the first 5-6 laps ended up 30+ seconds behind me or dropped out.

400m repeats on beltline (90 secs rest, 5min rest between sets)

75.0,78.8,72.8,77.1

72.1,74.0,71.5,74.3

4by rhino

35.8,36.0,35.1,34.7

Deepdene tempo. Starting to get hot here, which means I start to suffer pretty badly on these types of runs. Today I suffered, but my performance was still good.

Look out! It's an escaped data table.

The moral of the story is I was really bad in 2014. Another thing is that I'm definitely scared to push myself hard at the start of workouts because things can go from finezies to faintzies pretty quickly. However, this discipline may actually be helping me in races.

Just a little friendly reminder that running does not really agree with me anymore. I often talk about low BP issues on my blog. They are often just uncomfotable, like yesterday, but sometimes it gets real bad.

Went a little faintzies at the end of my run today. About half a mile from home I found that I could no longer stand so I decided to have a little lie down. Someone pulled over a got me to my lobby. When I fainted crawling into my lobby they revived me by pouring water on my face. I insisted that they not call an ambulance, but they did anyway. Allie came out with my EmergenC to revive me and that did the trick, however the EMTs were already there. They found that my BP was 70 over 40 (a little low for exercise I guess) and then they took an EKG which told them I was going into cardiac arrest. However my EKG always says that's about to happen. I tried to insist to them that I was fine, but just a little woozy. They whisked me off to hospital, which I might add was the one used in the walking dead where the patients are used as slave labor. The DRs did more tests and determine that I'm perfectly healthy, which is nice to know, just a little low on Sodium. However the EKG had recommended immediate heart surgery.

So now I'm going to carry a copy of my EKG with me whenever I go running, so this mistake doesn't happen again. I actually recommend that all runners do this, because we all likely have abnormal EKGs.

Whatevevs, I got the run in though.

Final all comers meet of the year. Similar to last week, I tried to challenge myself by going with some faster guys at the start, but then just sort of hung on the rest of the way. I probably still had Sunday in the back of my mind and didn't really go to the well like I have in some other races.

Splits

79,79,81,81,84,83,81,35

Still, that's a 27 second improvement over last year.

Date	Rest	1	2	3	4	Avg
8/29/15	90 secs	5:35	6:07	5:49	6:09	5:55
9/5/15	5 mins	5:39	5:53	5:34	5:52	5:44.5
9/19/15	90 secs	5:35	5:57	5:36	5:53	5:45.3
9/26/15	5 mins	5:45	6:08	5:40	6:07	5:55
12/19/15	90 secs	5:44	5:55	5:41	5:56	5:49
2/20/16	90 secs	5:30	6:05	5:33	6:02	5:47.5
3/13/16	90 secs	5:30	6:17	5:59	6:45	6:07.8
4/7/16	90 secs	5:43	6:05	5:36	5:58	5:50.5
4/28/16	90 secs	5:34	5:54	5:31	5:51	5:42.5
5/7/16	90 secs	5:29	5:45	5:21	5:41	5:34
5/27/16	90 secs	5:35	5:49	5:31	5:42	5:39.3
6/4/16	90 secs	5:29	5:52	5:34	6:04	5:44.8
6/16/16	90 secs	5:36	5:45	5:32	5:44	5:39.3

New workout

4 by 800 on beltline with 90 seconds rest. Alternating down and up.

2:44.2 2:50.3,2:40.6,2:44.9

5 minute break then 4 by 400

71.1,74.5,70.9,72.0

Jogging break then 4 by rhino hill

34.8,34.3,34.0,32.9

Double tempo run (approx 2.75 and 2.45 miles). The second one has some rough uphill, especially in in the last mile.

Oxford Tempo in 45:40 (6:10 pace, 5:57 adjusted) Previous best (from 3 weeks ago) was 46:40

First split along the freedom trial/beltline trial in 18:41 for 3 miles. Roughly 6:14 pace/6:06 adjusted. Previous best for this segment was 18:59.

Next split going around Piedmont park 11:54 for 1.94 miles 6:08/5:51 adjusted. Previous best was 12:09.

Final split running from Piedmont to Emory Campus via the Georgia Marathon Course backwards in 15:05 6:07/5:51 adjusted. Previous best was 15:32.

4 by mile on beltline (down, up, dow up 90 seconds recovery)

5:36,5:44,5:26,5:39

Given the crazy heat and humidity and kind of eased into this one. Pretty happy with this though.

Then 4 by rhino hill.

35.4,35.2,33.4,32.5

.

	6/28	4/26	4/5	3/16	3/8	2/16	1/14	11/5	10/29	10/8
Mile4Mark	8:43	8:54	8:52	8:56	8:51	9:11	8:54	8:55	8:54	8:58
Mile3Mark	6:18	6:23	6:24	6:27	6:14	6:37	6:19	6:23	6:25	6:35
Beltline (3M)	3:11	3:17	3:18	3:13	3:15	3:21	3:14	3:12	3:19	3:14
Mile2Mark	2:13	2:13	2:14	2:11	2:08	2:18	2:14	2:12	2:16	2:14
Mile1Mark	5:53	5:58	6:14	6:01	5:52	6:17	5:56	5:51	6:00	5:55
Finish	0:40	0:44	0:48	0:43	0:43	0:49	0:46	0:46	0:45	0:46

56948 finishers: the largest race I've ever been in (beating out last year by about 100)

Due to my stellar 17:33 qualifying time (from last June's Braves 5k) I was a seeded runner meaning that I got to warmup on the course next to the elites. I saw Dart Challenge course record holder/US olympian Jared Ward as well as 4-time olympian Abdi.

It was pretty warm and humid, which is not a good combination for me (Dew point=71). However, I felt decent on my warmup so I figure I would stick to the initial goal of sub 36, which (spoiler alert) I did end up getting.

With so many good runners, it's natural to get out fast but I tried to stay within myself. The first mile was 5:39, which felt very relaxed and I was not breathing hard at all. But after the mile I just started to feel a little off, possibly due to bp lowering. I had wanted to take powerade at every aid station but there was only water which I repeatedly dumped on my head.

Miles 2 and 3 are slighly downhill so I ran 5:29,5:28 despite feeling increasingly terrible. First 5k split was 17:12. After this the course turns uphill and I start to suffer pretty badly. However, unlike last year, it seems like everyone else is suffering just the same. Mile 4 is 6:06. Two more miles at this speed and I won't break 36. Mile 5 is 6:12, despite being easier than mile 4. I'd like to say that I dug deep in the last mile to get under 36 but really the course just got easier. Mile 6 in 5:58, and then a 1:05 for the last .2. Despite the lousy finish, I moved up 7 spots in the second half of the race.

In short, this was a great performance for me and I still feel like there's more in there during better conditions.

1) I was 1:15 faster than laster year.

2) Fastest post mayan apocalypse 10K, even counting aided courses like Des News and short courses like The Layton Classic. It's not even close.

3) My first 5k of the year was a 17:54. I just did 17:59x2

toast or bagel

I was hoping to carry over some high altitude training camp/wedding magic into this race. However, it seems like it got canceled out by the humid conditions.

I actually led this race through the mile. Everyone had started out kind of slowly and I saw the opportunity to lead for a bit. The first mile was downhill and the pace felt appropriate but my legs felt like jelly. I hit the mile at 5:30 (course tool 5:25) and then was immediately passed by 9 people. Second mile was 5:57 (course tool 5:40) so I clearly tanked this mile. I fell well behind the leading pack of 9 but no one else passed me.

I rallied a little with a 5:47 third mile (course tool 5:29) and started to make up some ground, passing one person, but then I feel off quite a bit at the end with a 5:49 (course tool 5:39). I got passed by someone else and several guys were coming up behind me.

Wacky Workout Wednesday, featuring a dew point of 72F

Splits

6:40.6,43.8,2:49.7,67.6,2:27.2,1:58.0,3:08.2,39.8